Experiential Learning Accelerators


EBV Director Invited to State of the Union Address

U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., announced Thursday that Michael Zacchea, director of UConn’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), will be his guest at President Obama’s State of the Union address on Jan. 12.  Zacchea, who served in the Iraq war, is a retired Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and a Purple Heart recipient.Continue Reading



‘We’re Starting to Have Our Voices Heard’

Military Flag

Senator Blumenthal Attends UConn Roundtable on Veteran Employment; Seeks Ideas, Concerns, Suggestions

Their livelihoods couldn’t be more diverse—from farming to aerospace to cleaning services—but their message was the same: help us and help our fellow veterans find, keep and create great jobs.

That was the message that some 70 people delivered to U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) during a roundtable discussion Thursday, Jan. 7. Hosted by UConn’s School of Business, the focus of the event was how Congress can further support veteran hiring and veteran-owned businesses.Continue Reading




Enhancing Entrepreneurial Experiences at the University of Connecticut

Innovation Destination: Hartford- Michelle Cote is Managing Director of the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CCEI) at the University of Connecticut School of Business. Cote shared insight about the Center and told Innovation Destination: Hartford more about the entrepreneurial programs at UConn.



Meriden Veteran Goes from Military Service to Entrepreneurship

Record-Journal- When Gulaid and Davina Ismail’s second child Issaq was born three years ago, the child suffered from acid reflux so badly he threw up often. The couple was going through plenty of infant clothes.

“We were constantly changing clothes and throwing them out when they get stained,” Davina said. “So we asked ourselves ‘why don’t we start making clothes ourselves?'”

Gulaid Ismail, a U.S. Marine who served seven months in Fallujah, Iraq, was able to get some assistance from Veterans Administration programs and the couple soon started Dribblebabies, a baby and toddler web-based store for parents five years after his honorable discharge.



Honoring Veterans 365 Days a Year

Angel Charles, Connecticut National Guard and 2015 EBV Participant
Angel Charles, Connecticut National Guard and 2015 EBV Participant (Nathan Oldham/UConn School of Business)

 

UConn’s Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans Helps Military Heroes Become Business Moguls

The UConn School of Business has a strong and proud history of serving the educational and career needs of military leaders and veterans, a tradition that dates back to its earliest days.

After WWII, the university offered business classes at Fort Trumbull in New London to serve returning GIs. The creation of a full-time MBA program on the Storrs campus in 1960, another milestone at the School of Business, occurred as a direct result of a contract to expand educational opportunities for members of the Air Force.Continue Reading